City councilor: 2 firefighters dead in smoky fire that ripped through Boston brownstone

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Published on
March 26, 2014

A firefighter, right, lowers his head at the scene of the fire that claimed two firefighters.

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Firefighters battling the multi-alarm fire at a four-story brownstone in the Back Bay neighborhood near the Charles River.

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A firefighter places his hand on the shoulder of another.

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Fighters battle a multi-alarm fire.

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Fighters battle a multi-alarm fire at a four-story brownstone in the Back Bay neighborhood near the Charles River, Wednesday, March 26, 2014, in Boston. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)

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Firefighters fight a multi-alarm fire at a four-story brownstone in the Back Bay neighborhood near the Charles River, Wednesday, March 26, 2014, in Boston. Boston EMS spokesman Nick Martin says four people, including at least three firefighters, have been taken to hospitals. (AP Photo/Scott Eisen)

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A Boston Police officer escorts a woman away from the scene of a multi-alarm fire at a four-story brownstone in the Back Bay neighborhood near the Charles River, Wednesday, March 26, 2014, in Boston. Boston EMS spokesman Nick Martin says four people, including at least three firefighters, have been taken to hospitals. (AP Photo/Scott Eisen)

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In this photo released by the Boston Fire Department via Twitter, firefighters tend a colleague at the scene of a multi-alarm fire at a four-story brownstone in the Back Bay neighborhood near the Charles River Wednesday, March 26, 2014 in Boston. (AP Photo/Boston Fire Department)

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Firefighter look on at the scene of a multi-alarm fire at a four-story brownstone in the Back Bay neighborhood near the Charles River, Wednesday, March 26, 2014, in Boston. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)

BOSTON — A fast-moving fire that sent smoke and flames pouring from the roof and windows of a brownstone killed two firefighters today and injured at least five others.

The deadly fire snarled traffic in Boston’s densely populated Back Bay neighborhood. Boston EMS spokesman Nick Martin said 18 people, all police officers or firefighters, were taken to hospitals. Fire department spokesman Steve MacDonald said there were no reports of residents missing and it appeared everyone who was inside at the time had escaped.

City Councilor Josh Zakim, who represents the area, confirmed the two firefighters’ deaths. He said nine units in the four-story building were affected.

“On this tragic day, our thoughts and prayers are with the brave men and women who fought this fire,” Zakim said.

Major thoroughfare Storrow Drive was shut down for a time, and people were being asked to stay out of the area. The mayor’s office designated the nearby Boston Public Library as a center for people displaced or otherwise affected by the fire to get help.

An assistant district attorney was sent to the scene, standard procedure in cases in which there are serious or potentially life-threatening injuries or deaths, said Jake Wark, a spokesman for Suffolk District Attorney Dan Conley. There was no immediate word on the cause of the fire, which was still burning several hours later.

Despite strong winds and cold temperatures, people gathered to watch firefighters work from outside the building.